In radio communication networks, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) or the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), network planning comprises the use of public base stations (a node B (NB) or an evolved node B (eNB)) accessible by all subscribers within the cell covered by the base station. However, it is not rare that certain environments are left without sufficient coverage or capacity even though being located within the coverage area of the cell. These environments may include, for example, homes or offices.
As a solution to provide sufficient coverage and capacity to these types of areas, a femtocell radio coverage area is provided. A femtocell is generated by establishing a private base station (a home node B (hNB)) in the area. The hNB provides coverage to a small area within the coverage area of the eNB. That is, a femtocell radio coverage area allows service providers to extend service coverage to areas where coverage would otherwise be limited or unavailable. Therefore, a user terminal can benefit from an increased capacity by connecting to the hNB and communicating with it, instead of the eNB.
However, several challenges are related to a private base station co-existing within a larger cell, such as a macrocell or a microcell. These include, for example, spectrum allocation (radio resource management) between the users of the private base station and the users of the public base station. Thus, it is important to provide a solution for optimizing the radio resource management in a mobile communication network employing private base stations co-existing with a public base station.